Suffering derived from physical, mental and emotional attachment

This teaching is for those who are interested in knowing how to transcend certain kind of physical, mental or emotional suffering in oneself and/or others by inquiring towards what is going on in one's mind, to realize what is the root cause of suffering, and hence, be able to help oneself and/or others to transcend suffering through attaining correct understanding and freeing the mind from ignorance and egoism, rather than being conditioned by worldly social/cultural/spiritual/religious thinking and belief to think that, "I and/or some others are in painful suffering, and hence, I and/or some others deserve and expect to be receiving comforts, sympathy and empathy from others towards my suffering and/or others' suffering." While allowing others to show comforts, sympathy and empathy, or not.

Most probably, the minds that aren't interested to inquire and to know how to transcend suffering, but only looking forward to be giving and receiving comforts, sympathy and empathy among one another to feel better, wouldn't like to hear or practice this teaching. Hearing, or coming in contact with the teachings about looking into one's mind to realize the ignorance and egoism in oneself, and realizing all the existing suffering is related to the corrupted thinking and belief in one's mind, would irritate and offend the prideful self-righteous egoistic minds.

Everyone is free to like or dislike, agree or disagree with, and want or don't want to practice certain teachings. None should be blind-following, blind-believing, blind-practicing, or blind-propagating any kind of teachings, including all the teachings of yoga and Buddhism. It's better not to take up any kind of teachings or belief and practice than blindly taking up certain teachings or belief and practice without inquiring towards the truth of it.

All kinds of physical, mental and emotional suffering derived from egoism of attachment, identification, desire of craving and aversion, and expectation.

If the mind is free from egoism, without attachment, identification, desire of craving and aversion, and expectation towards the selfless life existence, the physical body, the modification of the mind, the perceived desirable/undesirable reality of the mind perception of names and forms of pleasant/unpleasant and agreeable/disagreeable life experiences of sights, sounds, smells, tastes, sensations, thoughts, the impermanent selfless changes, the relationships with everyone and everything, the condition and situation in one's life and in the world, the ability and disability, the contribution and non-contribution, the achievement and non-achievement, the enjoyment and non-enjoyment, the limitation and restriction, the coming in contact with the disagreeable beings and objects, the separation from the agreeable beings and objects, and the inevitable hunger, thirst, physical/mental/emotional discomfort, injury, illness, weakness, old age, and death, then this mind is free, as it is, unconditioned and undetermined by any qualities of name and form.

The egoless/selfless mind is void of suffering, regardless of all kinds of physical, mental, emotional discomforts coming and going, good and bad relationships coming and going, and all the desirable and undesirable events/relationships/experiences, ups and downs, success and failure throughout one's life span.

The mind is not selfless and perceives suffering is because there's an idea of 'I' exists in the mind out of ignorance, feeding egoism and fueling by egoism at the same time.

When people say someone is suffering from mental and emotional suffering due to being alone, or separation from the beings and objects that one likes and loves, or coming in contact with the beings and objects that one doesn't like, or experiencing something that one doesn't like to experience, or being unable to experience something that one would like to experience, or being unable to do something that one would like to do, or being unable to go somewhere that one would like to go, or being unable to be at somewhere that one would like to be at, or being unable to be somebody whom one would like to be, or being restricted by all kinds of physical, mental or emotional interaction restrictions, or being unable to be with people whom one would like to be with, and communicate with people whom one would like to communicate with, or being unable to enjoy something that one would like to enjoy, or being unable to fulfill one's desire and ambition, or experiencing something that the mind perceives as 'bad', 'wrong', 'undeserving', 'hurtful', 'negative' and 'unhappy', and etc, is because of ungratified desires and expectations deriving from the egoism of attachment, identification, desire of craving and aversion and expectation, and how the mind reacts towards ungratified desires and expectations, where the mind is experiencing something that it doesn't like, doesn't want and doesn't agree with, while not experiencing something that it likes, wants and agrees with.

The minds perceive suffering physically, mentally and emotionally is due to the physical, mental and emotional attachment and identification, as well as the desires of craving and aversion and expectation in the mind. All kinds of experience, no matter how dislikable, disagreeable, unpleasant and painful they are, do not give suffering to the mind or make the mind suffers, but the perception of suffering is coming from the mind itself functioning under the influence of ignorance and egoism. The mind is suffering physically, mentally and emotionally due to ungratified desires and expectations.

A so called spiritual 'healer' approaches somebody who is in such mental and emotional suffering, without acknowledging the root cause of such suffering, but thinking and believing that the best 'healing approach' for such suffering beings is gratifying all the desires of craving and aversion of the suffering mind, to make the suffering mind feels better and happier and less suffer because its desires of craving and aversion are being gratified. This might give immediate momentary relief to the suffering mind, but it's also empowering the root cause of suffering at the same time. This is not liberation from suffering, but instead, it intensifies the ignorance and egoism. It's sending the suffering mind to deeper suffering rather than to guide the suffering mind coming out from suffering.

It's like giving sugar to the children whenever they are being unhappy and crying due to not getting sugar when they crave for sugar, will make the children be satisfied and happy, or stop being unhappy and crying momentarily, but it's damaging the children slowly by keep giving them sugar every time they crave for sugar, and give them more and more sugar every time as the craving is getting stronger and stronger, so that the children will be satisfied and happy, or won't be unhappy and crying.

Gurus and Buddhas are teachers, they are not 'healers'. They selflessly and intentionlessly deliver the teachings to the suffering beings for them to practice and to realize or see the root cause of suffering, and free themselves from the root cause of suffering, and be liberated from suffering, all by themselves, alone. The gurus and Buddhas don't and can't 'put' the suffering beings into a space that is void of suffering, so that there will be no more suffering or no more beings experiencing suffering in the world of impermanent selfless names and forms.

The elimination of ignorance and egoism or the self-realization of selflessness and unconditional love and peace undetermined by impermanent qualities of name and form will liberate the mind from all kinds of suffering that derived from physical, mental and emotional attachment, identification, desire of craving and aversion, and expectation.

Teachings like this might appear to be offensive, unpleasant and disagreeable to the ignorant egoistic minds, including many of the 'yoga practitioners' and 'yoga teachers', but it's the best gift from all the gurus and Buddhas. Everyone has the freedom to accept or reject the gift upon coming in contact with the teachings. Gurus and Buddhas don't get hurt, offended, disrespected or humiliated if the minds choose to reject the gift of Dhamma.

Due to deep ignorance, the egoistic minds will give many justification to justify that the gratification of the desires of craving and aversion of the suffering minds, by giving the minds what make them happy and taking away what make them unhappy, even if it's just for enjoying a few moments of momentary relief of conditional peace and happiness, is showing loving kindness and compassion towards the suffering beings. That's their freedom of thinking and practice.

Even in the translation of the Buddhism teachings, compassion is being translated as "Give happiness to the beings and take away unhappiness from the beings," or "Compassion is lessening the suffering of others by sharing others' suffering," while in the google translation, compassion is being referred as 'sympathy or empathy'. A child, either intentionally or unintentionally took poison and suffers great pain and is dying, and out of love and empathy, the loving mother also perceives suffering in herself worrying for her child is in painful suffering and dying, or even taking the same poison and also suffers from great pain thinking of "Let me replace my child to suffer the painful suffering," it doesn't lessen or take away the painful suffering in the child and won't stop the child from dying. Though out of wisdom and compassion, by providing immediate appropriate medical treatment might or might not ease the pain of the child or save the child's life.

That's why Siddhartha Gautama Buddha didn't want the teachings to be written down and be translated by human egoistic minds, and strongly emphasized the importance of "Self-reliance and inquiry towards the truth of everything through self-discipline, self-control, self-purification, renunciation, solitude, seclusion and silencing the mind," inquiring towards the truth of everything including all the written and translated teachings of Buddhism being written and translated by different minds. For example, there are many people mixing the Taoism teachings and practice into the Buddhism teachings and practice. Even so, the practitioner of Dhamma doesn't interfere with all the other beings having their own different belief and practice. It has to be self-initiative whether someone will take up the teachings of Dhamma and inquire the truth of everything, without blind-following, blind-believing, blind-practicing and blind-propagating.

All minds have the freedom of whether they want to attain momentary conditional relief to momentarily escape from on going suffering, or to attain unconditional peace of being liberated from suffering or the root cause of suffering.

Contemplate and be free.

Not all yoga teachers are free from ignorance and egoism

Some yoga teachers are disturbed, frustrated, irritated, angry and hurt by certain things in the world that their minds perceived as 'bad', 'wrong', 'disagreeable', 'inhumanity', and 'suffering'.

There's nothing wrong with any kind of reaction, as everyone is free to act and react as they are, and most minds would react in such way under the influence of ignorance and egoism. Because of ignorance, they are being ignorant of these reactions are out of ignorance and egoism, but instead, they would think and believe that human beings should be reacting in such way out of loving kindness and compassion, while those who don't react in such way are lack of loving kindness or compassion.

Not all yoga teachers are free from ignorance and egoism. It's normal that there are some yoga teachers are being disturbed by what their minds perceived as 'bad', 'wrong', 'disagreeable', 'inhumanity' and 'suffering' based on certain worldly social/cultural/spiritual/religious/humanity belief, values and practice, and yet, they don't really know what is going on in their minds, while thinking that they and other human beings should be reacting in such way out of loving kindness or compassion. But not really.

Many yoga teachers in the world are like everyone else, taking their own time to evolve, to free their minds from ignorance and egoism at their own pace, while conducting yoga classes for some other people to be learning and practicing yoga with them for whatever reasons, intentions and expectations.

None can 'advise' or 'enlighten' the minds that are still functioning under the influence of ignorance and egoism, including many of the Internationally certified/qualified 'yoga teachers' in the world, who think and believe that they love yoga very much, and claiming that themselves are quiet experienced in practicing and teaching yoga, as they have been practicing and teaching yoga for quite many years already. But all those years of experience in practicing and teaching yoga under Internationally recognized certification and qualification, as well as how much the mind thinks and believes that it loves yoga very much, cannot determine that the mind is free from ignorance and egoism, even when they think and believe that themselves are compassionate loving and kind beings who want to spread love, happiness and peace into the world.

Many people might also be doing many social charity work for the community in the world. It's excellent for people to be reaching out and helping each other in the world. But performing many good actions for many years also doesn't and cannot determine that the mind is free from ignorance and egoism.

All these Internationally certified and qualified 'yoga teachers' are also doing their best to purify and quiet their minds, to free their minds from ignorance, egoism and impurities, to allow their minds to see the truth of things as it is, to realize selflessness, oneness, non-separateness, attributelessness, namelessness and formlessness, to be free from all kinds of disturbs and suffering deriving from ignorance and egoism, to realize unconditional love and peace, being undetermined and undisturbed by all the different qualities of name and form or impermanent pleasant/unpleasant/agreeable/disagreeable/desirable/undesirable life experiences that the selfless mind perceives through the senses, according to what the yoga teachings and practice is about.

If the mind is still functioning under the influence of ignorance and egoism, then most probably the mind is also being ignorant towards the ignorance and egoism existing in itself, and hence, not many 'yoga teachers' are aware of the ignorance and egoism in their minds, even though they practice and teach about awareness or mindfulness, and they are still being passionate towards worldly egoistic affairs and relationships, while being disturbed and determined by the perception of names and forms that the mind perceives through the senses of sights, sounds, smells, tastes, sensations, feelings/emotions, and thoughts process of likes and dislikes, agreements and disagreements, actions and reactions based on their intellectual understanding, knowledge and belief. The mind is still functioning under egoism of attachment, identification, desire of craving and aversion, judgment and expectation, and hence constantly react towards the absence and presence of names and forms/experiences that the mind likes and dislikes, desires and doesn't desire, agrees and disagrees with, and be disturbed and affected physically/mentally/emotionally very much by the absence of something likable/desirable/agreeable and the presence of something dislikable/undesirable/disagreeable, based on certain worldly egoistic social/cultural/spiritual/religious/humanity thinking and belief.

The minds that realized selflessness and compassion, being free from ignorance and egoism, will be aware of all the pleasant and unpleasant, desirable and undesirable, agreeable and disagreeable experiences, events, happenings, conditions and situations, but these minds are not being influenced, affected, disturbed or determined by all those names and forms, as these minds are free from the egoistic attachment, identification, desire of craving and aversion, and expectation. These minds don't deny or ignore all those names and forms, but just being aware of it without attachment and expectation towards the perceived reality has to be or not to be in certain way.

These selfless compassionate minds can be performing selfless actions in the world out of compassion, but there's no attachment, identification or expectation towards the action and the fruit of action. There's no disturbs or suffering in these minds while being aware of the many kinds of suffering that exist in the world and upon coming in contact with names and forms that are unpleasant, undesirable, or disagreeable.

The selfless compassionate minds are free from disturbs and suffering, even though they are aware of there are many things in the world that are being perceived as 'bad', 'wrong', 'disagreeable' and 'inhumanity' that are going against 'righteousness', 'loving kindness' and 'humanity' based on the worldly passionate thinking and belief, where many passionate egoistic minds who love and care for the world passionately, are very much being disturbed by all the things that are 'bad', 'wrong', 'disagreeable' and 'inhumanity', while thinking and believing that themselves are being disturbed is 'the normal reaction and the right thing to do out of loving kindness', while those who don't react the same like them, who remain equanimous in peace, being undisturbed by what is happening in the world would be perceived and recognized by the passionate loving egoistic minds as 'lack of loving kindness', 'wrong', 'inhumanity' and 'abnormal'. There's nothing wrong with that kind of reaction, understanding and thinking, as these minds are not aware of their minds are under the influence of ignorance and egoism, that their minds are being disturbed is due to ignorance and egoism, and out of passionate love and hatred towards what they think is love or hatred deserving.

These minds that are being disturbed and angered by something that they perceived and recognized as 'bad', 'wrong', 'disagreeable', 'inhumanity' and 'suffering', while thinking and believing that they are acting and reacting out of compassionate loving kindness, only indicates that they haven't realized what is compassion. They don't know what is compassion is because they haven't realized selflessness. They haven't realized selflessness is because the mind is still influenced by ignorance, egoism, and impurities, especially passion, attachment, identification, desire of craving and aversion, and expectation. Their minds are acting and reacting out of passionate love, not selfless compassion, as the selfless compassionate minds won't be disturbed by all the 'bad', 'wrong', 'disagreeable', 'inhumanity', or the amount of suffering in many beings in the world that derived from ignorance, egoism and impurities.

These minds are being ignorant towards themselves are disturbed by the passionate love, attachment, identification, desire of craving and aversion, and expectation in their own minds. They feel disturbed, frustrated, irritated, angry and hurt by all the things that they perceived as 'bad', 'wrong', 'disagreeable', 'inhumanity' and 'suffering' in the world, is not coming from all those names and forms, but it's how the minds react towards those names and forms out of ignorance and egoism, and they feel disturbed, frustrated, irritated, angry and hurt because things are not being the way that they think, believe, desire and expect how it should be.

Contemplate on what is peacefulness and how to effectively disseminate peace into the world. Contemplate on the essence of the teachings of yoga about unconditional love and peace that is unconditional and unlimited by the impermanent good or bad qualities of name and form that the mind perceives through the senses.

Upon seeing the truth of what is going on in one's mind, one won't be blaming what the mind perceives as bad and wrong things happening in the world for one's mind reaction of disturb, irritation, frustration, anger, hurt, dissatisfaction, disappointment, unhappiness, grief, painful sorrow, or suffering.

Being aware of something is bad and wrong, and the reaction towards something that is bad and wrong, are two different things. It doesn't have to be related together. But, out of ignorance and egoism, most minds constantly react towards what they are aware of.

How can one promote and spread peace into the world by being disturbed and angry towards what the mind thinks and believes is hindering peace in the world?

The liberated peaceful beings in the past were being at peace while living and performing selfless compassionate actions in the world at different era. It wasn't that those beings were being peaceful because there was nothing bad, wrong, disagreeable, inhumanity or suffering existing in the world during those era. If one can only attain peace and be peaceful when there's nothing bad, wrong, disagreeable, inhumanity or suffering existing in the world, then that isn't what unconditional love and peace is about.

Learn how to be undetermined and undisturbed by all the names and forms. Being undisturbed by all the names and forms doesn't mean that one is unconcerned or denying towards what is happening around. Being undisturbed by others' suffering doesn't mean that one is emotionless and doesn't care about others' suffering. The mind that is free from ignorance and egoism is void of disturbs and suffering that is relating to oneself or others, while might be performing certain actions pointing out the ignorance and corruption in the world and guiding the ignorant minds to see the ignorance and corruption in themselves. There's nothing anyone can do if the mind still doesn't get this or understand this.

Be free.

Be open to inquire the truth of worldly thinking and belief and behavior

This teaching is for those who are interested in the practice of inquiring towards the truth of things but don't know where to begin, or have fear towards performing this teaching and practice due to contradiction with one's particular thinking and belief.

Performing inquiry towards the truth of everything, to attain self-realization towards the truth of everything, of all kinds of thinking, belief, values, practice and behavior, including all the teachings and practices of yoga and Buddhism, to know what is going on in one's mind, to free one's mind from ignorance, egoism and impurities, is the major teaching and practice in yoga and Buddhism. None should be blind-following, blind-believing, blind-practicing or blind-propagating the teachings and practice of yoga and Buddhism, but to experience and inquire all the teachings by oneself, to attain direct self-realization, as taught by all the Gurus and Buddhas.

Yoga and Buddhism's teachings and practice emphasize on self-disciplinary, self-control, self-reliance, self-inquiry and self-realization. It's purifying and disciplining and silencing one's mind. It's nothing to do with influencing, controlling, disciplining and interfering with the other minds. It teaches about all and everything are selflessly and impermanently existing and cease existing under the law of nature, cause and effect, actions and the consequences of actions.

Meanwhile, what people want to believe and practice, or not, is their freedom.

Most people have certain 'belief' or 'disbelief' about certain things, either wittingly or unwittingly, would never think of there's a need to inquire the truth of something that they believe/want to believe/being told to believe is 'true', 'right' and 'good', or 'that's the way things should or shouldn't be', and vice versa, just because that was being passed down and practiced by many other human beings, and hence, they just follow and practice unwittingly, or people themselves have chosen to adopt, follow, believe and practice wittingly.

Many people are afraid of performing inquiry towards the truth of their inherited or adopted cultural/religious/spiritual/social thinking, belief, values and practice that they have been believing in and practicing throughout their lives, as they were being told by 'some others' or 'a book that was written by somebody', that it's forbidden, sinful and punishable to question the truth of those belief, values and practice, where the believers think that there's element of insult, offensiveness and disrespectfulness towards 'someone' or 'the belief' in the act of doubting/questioning/inquiring the truth of those belief, values and practice.

There's nothing bad or wrong with human beings 'believe' that they need to have some form of 'beliefs' to live life and think in certain way, to lead them towards a certain direction or meaning in life, or else, people believe that they would be lost in life without holding onto a 'belief'. Everyone has the freedom to believe or disbelieve in something, or choosing what they want to believe or disbelieve as something 'true' or 'untrue', 'right' or 'wrong', 'good' or 'bad, and so on.

There's nothing bad or wrong either when the yoga practitioners and the Buddhism practitioners are being advised to inquire the truth of everything as the upmost essential practice.

Inquiring towards the truth of everything has to be self-initiated.

It's inquiring the truth of both belief and disbelief, values and practice that exist in one's mind, as well as upon coming in contact with some other kinds of belief and disbelief, values and practice, that influencing human being's thinking, action/reaction or behavior in the world, without judgment, without grasping, without attachment and without association.

Before one begins the inquiry towards the truth of anything, the mind needs to be opened and be purified.

If the mind is closed, this mind wouldn't be initiated to inquire the truth of what it believes or disbelieves, and what it comes in contact with, but will keep judging everything based on the existing belief and disbelief in one's mind, expecting everyone and everything to be or not to be in certain way.

If the mind is clouded by impurities, it hinders the mind from seeing the truth as it is, even if the mind is interested to inquire the truth of everything.

The closed mind will naturally grasp and judge everything that it comes in contact with (whatever the mind experiences) under the influence of a particular belief and disbelief in the mind. It reacts either with like or dislike, agreement or disagreement, praise or condemn, or unconcern, as long as it has nothing to do with 'I' and 'my life'.

While the opened mind either will witness and allow all the names and forms being there as they are, without attachment, being undetermined by the mind perception of names and forms, or will inquire the truth of everything that it comes in contact with, without the influence of any particular belief and disbelief that is already there in the mind, without judgment, grasping, attachment, or association. Regardless of what kind of names and forms that the mind perceives through the senses, the non-grasping mind that is free from the influence of any particular belief and disbelief will only see one same truth in all and everything - Selflessness and Impermanence. It's neither a belief nor disbelief. It's not a judgment, but it's just seeing the truth of all the names and forms, as they are. At the same time, the non-grasping mind allows everything being what they are, being there as they are, being impermanent and constantly changing, selflessly.

Whether something is 'true' or 'untrue', is nothing to do with what the mind thinks is belief or disbelief. Whether people believe or disbelieve that something is true or untrue, it doesn't change the truth of something being 'true' or 'untrue', but all is impermanent and selfless.

Inquiring towards the truth of everything is nothing 'insulting' or 'disrespecting' towards anything, not to say, what the mind believes as 'sinful' and 'punishable'.

Something that is really 'true' or 'pure' doesn't need to convince or force or threaten anyone to believe that it's 'true' and 'pure'. It doesn't need 'somebody' or 'some organization' or 'some authority' being there to convince or force or threaten all the others to believe that it's 'true' and 'pure'.

Something that is almighty, the one existence before, during and after everything else exist, change and cease exist, that is unlimited by time, space and causation, that is always right here right now, that is truly all compassionate, that represents the quality of 'omnipresence', 'omnipotence' and 'omniscience', or 'all-presence', 'all-powerful' and 'all-knowledge', would never be 'damaged', 'hurt', 'contaminated', 'offended', 'insulted' or 'disrespected' by anything.

How can something almighty be damaged, hurt, contaminated, offended, insulted, disrespected or belittled by certain names and forms, or react with dissatisfaction, disappointment, anger, hatred and violence? It's only the ignorant egoistic impure human minds will perceive damage, hurt, contamination, offensiveness, insult, disrespectfulness and belittling based on particular 'belief' and 'disbelief' in the mind, and react with dissatisfaction, disappointment, anger, hatred and violence upon certain names and forms that the minds judge as 'wrong' and 'bad' based on the 'belief' and 'disbelief' in the minds, that the mind think it's 'hurting', 'insulting', 'disrespecting', 'belittling' or 'contaminating' itself or the 'belief' and 'disbelief' in the mind.

Something that is almighty, true and pure doesn't need to 'prove' or 'justify' anything.

It doesn't need to 'control' or 'judge' anyone or anything to be in certain ways and not to be in certain ways.

It doesn't 'praise' or 'condemn' anyone or anything.

It doesn't need to be 'loved', be 'supported', be 'acknowledged', be 'protected', be 'glorified', be 'respected', be 'appreciated' or be 'thanked' by anyone or anything, to be what it is.

It doesn't need to be believed by anyone or anything, to be all-powerful, to be all-present, to be all-knowledge, to be what it is.

It doesn't threaten anyone with 'sin' and 'punishment' or tempt anyone with 'merit' and 'reward' about how everyone should or shouldn't think, believe, feel, act, react or behave. None need to be 'threatened by' and 'fearful towards' its presence or existence or teachings.

It wouldn't be affected, or determined, or disturbed, by all the debates, discussions, believes and disbelieves, likes and dislikes, agreements and disagreements, praise and condemn, appreciation and inappreciation, right and wrong, good and bad, positive and negative, enjoyment and painful sorrow, actions and inactions, ignorance and wisdom of the worldly beings.

All those names and forms of 'insult', 'disrespectfulness', 'belittling', 'offensiveness', 'defensiveness', 'hurt', 'control', 'judgment', 'praise', 'condemn', 'acknowledgement', 'glorification', 'protectiveness', 'threat', 'tempt', 'punishment', 'reward', 'self-righteousness' and 'self-authorization', are action/reaction and behavior existing in the world and deriving from the worldly ignorant egoistic impure human minds. It has nothing to do with the one that is almighty.

It's people's freedom to be inheriting and continue to follow and believe, or choosing to adopt, follow and believe, or not, in something or some teachings that portray or reflect such action and reaction or behavior of the ignorant egoistic impure human minds.

If there's a 'God existence', or a 'belief', or a 'teaching', that is nothing to do with the one that is almighty, because it would be offended, insulted, belittled, contaminated, hurt by 'something' or 'someone', and be angry, hating, violent, or avenge towards certain impermanent and selfless names and forms, why does anyone want to follow, believe, practice and propagate that particular 'God existence', or that particular 'belief', or that particular 'teaching', and living under great fear towards 'what they believe as the one that is almighty, but not really'?

If there is a 'God existence' of the one that is almighty, omnipresent, omnipotent and omniscient, then this almighty 'God' is there supporting all and everyone and everything to be existing as they are, non-discriminating and unconditionally, regardless of all the different qualities of name and form, thinking, belief/disbelief, values, practice, action/reaction and behavior, that all are imperfect, impermanent and selfless.

If it's the truth, the truth doesn't judge or punish anyone or anything.

If it's a great teaching, the great teaching represents and propagates unconditional love and peace.

If it's selfless compassion, it will be unconditional, non-discrimination, non-attachment, non-identification, non-judgment and non-expectation towards all and everyone and everything being what they are, as they are, and all are impermanent and selfless. Selfless compassion doesn't discriminate if someone behaves or doesn't behave like this or like that. There's neither demanding for apology nor granting of forgiveness. Everything exists, changes, affecting one another, and ceases existing, under the law of nature, cause and effect. If there's a 'God existence' that discriminates, and only will love certain type of behavior, and won't love or even will be hating certain type of behavior, that's conditional love and hate coming from ignorant egoistic impure human minds.

If there's a need to create constant fear in the minds towards not being 'qualified' or 'good' enough to be 'loved' and 'supported' by a particular 'God existence', or not being perfect enough to live up to a particular 'belief' or 'teaching', then what kind of 'God existence', 'belief, or what the mind thinks is the truth', or 'teaching' is that?

It's everyone's freedom if they want to believe in a 'God existence' that is being projected by their own minds being in certain way and how they desire it to be.

It's everyone's freedom if they want to believe in something or some teachings that would be 'hurt', 'insulted', 'offended', 'disrespected', 'contaminated', 'violent', 'angry', 'discriminating' and 'hating', and wittingly be influenced by that 'belief' to judge everything and expect certain 'respect' from all the others towards one's particular 'belief' that judge and discriminate all kinds of names and forms, inflict anger and hatred in one's mind towards certain names and forms, while expecting all the others should 'follow' and 'believe' in this 'belief', and to act/react/behave in certain way, or else, it's sinful and punishable according to that 'belief'.

It's everyone's freedom also if they want to look for something or some teachings that represents non-discriminating unconditional love and peace among all the different names and forms, that is undetermined, unaffected and undisturbed by all the imperfect names and forms in the world that are subject to impermanence and selflessness, that is void of egoistic 'hurt', 'insult', 'offensiveness', 'disrespectfulness', 'contamination', 'violence', 'anger', 'discrimination' and 'hatred', that is unconditional, unlimited, nameless, formless and attributeless, which is not a 'belief' deriving from and limited by worldly egoistic impure minds.

Even some yoga or Buddhism practitioners who think they are practicing yoga or Buddhism might not necessarily be free from the influence of a particular worldly social/cultural/religious/spiritual thinking, belief, values and practice, and be affected, disturbed and determined by what their minds perceived as 'wrong', 'bad', 'hurtful', 'disrespectful', 'insulting', 'offensive', 'belittling', or 'anger and hatred deserving'. There's nothing wrong with that. Just that, these minds are not peaceful, while 'blaming' the unpeacefulness is caused by the perceived names and forms being 'wrong', 'bad', 'hurtful', 'disrespectful', 'insulting', 'offensive', 'belittling', or 'anger and hatred deserving' based on the particular thinking, belief, values and practice in their minds. That's their freedom of thinking.

Those who think they believe in 'God existence, the one that is almighty', but would think and believe that this 'God' or its teachings would be offended, insulted, contaminated, disrespected, hurt, or damaged by certain names and forms, and this 'God' would be angry, violent, hating and punish those whom they (the human beings) believe and judge as 'wrong', 'bad', 'sinful' and 'punishable', then obviously they don't know 'God' or what 'God' is about. Those who understand, those who know, regardless of whether they have belief or disbelief about 'God existence, the one who is almighty', will not be disturbed by these minds and their behavior, neither will they judge or expect anything or anyone to be or not to be in certain way. It's mere ignorance and the consequence of ignorance.

Those who think and believe that they are loving compassionate beings, but they are being determined and disturbed by the ignorance and the consequence of ignorance of others in the world, then they don't know what compassion is about. It's neither right nor wrong. It's just that these minds who want to believe that they are loving compassionate beings, are also not free from ignorance, egoism and impurities yet.

Knowing that there are many beings in the world are not free from the egoism of attachment and identification towards many different thinking, belief, values and practice, and constantly acting/reacting and behaving in certain ways under the influence of ignorance, egoism and impurities, the wise ones don't deliberately performing actions that most minds would perceive as 'insult', 'belittling', or 'disrespectfulness', with the expectation that all beings should be wise enough to not react with the perception of being 'insulted', or 'belittled', or 'disrespected'. Everyone needs to take their own pace to evolve, to be aware of the modification of their minds, and to free their own minds from ignorance, egoism and impurities, to see the truth of things as it is, and be free from egoistic action/reaction or behavior under the influence of ignorance and impurities.

Contemplate and be free.

Social distancing?

Scientists have already found out that the spread of the virus among human beings is mainly transmitted through droplets generated when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or exhales, (which obviously including talking,) where people can be infected by breathing in the virus if they are within close proximity of someone who has the virus, or by touching a contaminated surface and then their eyes, nose or mouth. 

If people have high awareness and self-control, and know how to maintain certain length of physical distance from other people, even if they are family and friends but who are not from the same household, on top of wearing face mask properly, frequent hand-washing and without touching their eyes, nose and mouth unwittingly, then it would effectively help to minimize the spread of the virus among human beings. But, very few people in the world will have such high awareness and self-control, and constantly observing such practices wittingly. And hence, the pandemic is still growing and worsening in many countries in the world.

Many people, including some yoga practitioners and teachers might understand the importance of it, but they couldn’t observe the practice of social distancing during the pandemic, which is the most important way to stop the spread of the virus from human to human.

Not limited to, but there are some reasons why people can’t practice social distancing or reluctant to be refraining from any kinds of physical social meet up, gathering, mingling and interaction for a prolonged period of time such as:-

1.) The sense of loneliness, meaninglessness and boredom, as well as anxiety building up towards the pandemic and the long term side-effects of it, whether wittingly or unwittingly, which is natural for most people. 

People who have not enough understanding towards the function and state of the mind would be over-whelmed by the sense of loneliness, meaninglessness and boredom and/or anxiety, and losing their patience, balance and sanity, and behave irrationally after a prolonged period of time being restricted from many familiar physical and social activity and interaction. There's nothing wrong with human beings are sociable, interactive and talkative in nature. Those who have developed certain degrees of self-control and mind discipline, and have adequate understanding towards the function and state of the mind, would have no problem being without any physical and social activity and interaction with other human beings for a prolonged period of time.

2.) People think that social distancing means only limited to maintaining certain length of physical distance from other people, but doesn't need to restrict or limit physical and verbal activity and communication, especially verbal interaction and talking face to face with other people, even if people are wearing a face mask, as most people couldn't help touching their face mask from time to time with their fingers and then touching everywhere, unwittingly.

3.) Many people just can’t live without physically engaging in social/cultural/religious practices, celebrations, ceremonies and events in a group that involves more than one participant. People like to share and be merry or be in grief with other people. There's nothing wrong with that, especially if in a world without the pandemic. People have the freedom for how they want to live their life, with or without the pandemic going on. Although there are new laws being implemented to limit people's action and inaction for the sake of curbing the pandemic.

People can’t live without physically meeting, mingling, interacting, communicating and talking face to face with some other human beings from time to time, especially with their family and friends who live physically apart from one another. People can’t live without hugging and touching or ‘kiss kiss’, especially with their family and friends, to show love and affection. Even some yoga enthusiasts and mental health professionals would actually believe that people will be sick and die if without physical hugging and touching with other human beings for a long time. People can’t just be by themselves or with those within the same household after a certain period of time, but they need to go out and physically mingling with their neighbours, relatives and friends, and family members who are not already living under the same household. There's nothing wrong with all these behaviors. It's very common for most people.

Social distancing isn’t just about maintaining at least two metres distance of physical distancing, on top of frequent hand-washing and wearing face mask like what most people would prefer it to be as simplest as that, because people need to go out to work to maintain livelihood and get daily needs even without engaging in any physical social activity or gathering, but it’s the restriction towards all kinds of physical social/cultural/religious activity, gathering, meet up, interaction, communication, celebration, ceremony and event that gather two or more people to be in a particular space, which cannot avoid some kind of verbal interaction or talking among people, that serves an upmost important role to minimize the spread of the highly contagious virus. Because most people just forget about maintaining physical distance and can't avoid verbal/physical communication/interaction when there are two people or more being together in the same space.

There’s nothing wrong with people being sociable and talkative and carrying out their all-time social/cultural/religious practices even in the midst of pandemic. Life has to go on. For the sake of maintaining certain degrees of sanity, many people need to live life with all kinds of social/cultural/religious activities the way that they are familiar with. Just that this pandemic won’t end anytime soon, but will keep growing under the people's ongoing physical social meet up, gathering, mingling, interaction and talking face to face, even if wearing a face mask during such activities.

Those who don't take any consideration towards the scientific research being accurate, or not, but just blindly deny any scientific research, and those who think that the pandemic doesn't exist, won't help in tackling the pandemic either.

Not just that people's physical and mental health is being threatened by the prolonged pandemic, but people’s lives, movements and livelihoods that depend on the global economy will continue to be restricted and affected, unless the respective vaccine is found and accessible/affordable to everyone.

My life stories - Part 13

My life Stories – Part 13
Stories from my past memories – childhood, family, friends, growing up, poverty, integrity, dreams come true, finding peace and happiness, Buddhism, Yoga, and now…

We were busy organizing our new life in this rented apartment on Penang Island after we moved in on the 2^nd of February. We needed to get the apartment ready to receive Marc’s parents who came to visit us during the 4^th week of February. Two weeks after Marc’s parents left, Malaysia and many other countries declared national and international lockdown due to the pandemic in mid-March. We didn’t get to explore much of the island. At least, I knew the way to the supermarket for grocery shopping every ten days or so during the lockdown. Also, my husband got to swim every day in the condominium’s swimming pool from the day we moved in for about six weeks until the lockdown started. 

One of the main reasons we decided to leave Langkawi and move to Penang Island renting this particular apartment was because it had the 50 metres lap pool and it’s beside a hiking path. Regular swimming and walking is very important for my husband’s over-all well-being. He has some old and new injuries as well as extreme low blood pressure that restricted him from performing yoga asana practice. I myself prefer doing yoga asana practice at home, and hence, the lockdown didn’t cause me much inconvenience and restriction. It was until the RMCO (Recovery Movement Control Order) started in early July, where the swimming pools in many condominiums remained closed due to the strict S.O.P (Standard Operating Procedure), but the public swimming pool started operating again complying with the S.O.P, my husband got to swim regularly again at the Spice Aquatic Centre for a few months until the pandemic second wave hit Penang and many other states in Malaysia in early November, where swimming activities are not allowed, again.

Even so, my husband and I are very glad that we had left Langkawi and moved into this apartment just before the pandemic lockdown, where we can’t travel or run yoga retreats. We really loved Langkawi, and were thinking of living there for as long as possible because of the nature and slow pace of living that we liked very much, but the human related difficulties that we experienced while living and teaching yoga in Langkawi in the last ten years had encouraged me to suggest to my husband that we should go somewhere else.

Similarly, Marc’s parents had made a very sudden decision to change their travelling dates to travel earlier to Australia than their initial plan, to spend a couple of months with their second daughter and grandchildren and then visit us for one week on the way back to Ireland just before the international lockdown began. Or else, they wouldn’t be able to travel anywhere if they had followed their initial travel plan. When they informed us about they had already bought the flight tickets to Langkawi for February 2020, they didn’t know that we had decided to move to Penang, and they didn’t think of we wouldn’t be living in Langkawi anymore one day. Partially it’s our own fault as we didn’t want to inform anyone about our plan to move away from Langkawi until we had found a secured place to live in Penang. And so, we bought them the flight tickets to Penang and paid for their one night accommodation in Langkawi before their connecting flight between Langkawi – Kuala Lumpur – Dublin. That worked out nicely in the end. We didn’t expect pandemic and international lockdown would be happening in March. It was so lucky that they got to see their children and grandchildren before the pandemic, and nobody knows how long this travel restriction will go on.

Many people, including some yoga practitioners and teachers might understand the importance of it, but they couldn’t observe the practice of social distancing during the pandemic, which is the most important way to stop the spread of the virus from human to human. A few reasons why people can’t practice social distancing or avoid any kinds physical social meet up, gathering and interaction for a prolonged period of time such as the sense of loneliness, meaninglessness and boredom, and anxiety building up towards the pandemic and the side-effects of it; people don’t really understand and don’t want social distancing; as well as many people just can’t live without engaging in physical social/cultural/religious practices, celebrations, ceremonies and events in a group more than one person.

People can’t live without physically meeting, mingling, interacting, communicating and talking with some other human beings from time to time, especially with their family and friends who live physically apart from one another. People can’t live without hugging and touching or ‘kiss kiss’, especially with their family and friends.

People, including some yoga enthusiasts and mental health professionals, would actually believe that people will be sick and die if without physical hugging and touching with other human beings. People can’t just be by themselves or with those within the same household after a certain period of time, but they need to go out and physically mingling with their neighbours, relatives and friends, and family members who are not living under the same household.

Social distancing isn’t just about maintaining at least two metres distance of physical distancing, on top of frequent hand-washing and wearing face mask like what most people would prefer it to be, where people need to go out to work to maintain livelihood and get daily needs, but it’s the restriction of all kinds of physical social/cultural/religious activity, gathering, meet up, interaction, communication, celebration, ceremony and event that gather two or more people to be in a particular space, which involves verbal interaction or talking among people, that serves an upmost important role to minimize the spread of the highly contagious virus. Because most people just forget about maintaining physical distance and can’t avoid verbal/physical communication/interaction when there are two people or more being together in the same space.

There’s nothing wrong with people being sociable and talkative and carrying out their all-time social/cultural/religious practices even in the midst of pandemic. Life has to go on. Just that this pandemic won’t end anytime soon, but will keep growing under the ongoing physical social meet up, gathering, mingling, interaction and talking face to face among human beings. People’s lives, movements and livelihoods that depend on the global economy will always be restricted and affected, unless the vaccine is found and accessible/affordable to everyone.

Because the pandemic is still continuing and even worsening throughout Malaysia and in many other countries, we won’t be running yoga retreats anytime soon. We still receive some retreat requests from time to time, but we reject all of them, as we know it’s not suitable to have such activities during the pandemic. And recently, during the second wave lockdown in Malaysia, all kinds of retreat activities are not allowed, which we agree with.

We had been living on Marc’s saving for the last many months, and lately, his writing, editing and proofreading career has started to take off. He got some international writing, editing and proofreading work that brings in some income for our living, even though the amount is not much and isn't enough to cover monthly basic living expenses. Just like many other people who have to work from home, his work depends very much on the internet connectivity. It would be difficult for him if we had stayed in Langkawi, because the internet speed that we had in that house was very slow and we experienced no internet connectivity for a few days from time to time. We also wouldn’t be able to run yoga retreats in Langkawi during the pandemic if we had stayed there. Here in Penang, we can have a high speed internet connection at a lower price than what we had paid in Langkawi.

Just like everything in this world, this apartment is not perfect. It also has some defects. We are not looking for perfection, but appreciating all the good points while accommodating the not so good points. The living condition, the surrounding environment, the natural air flow and the lighting in this apartment are significantly better than the previous house in Langkawi. This is especially important for my husband, as he needs a healthy environment and comfortable space for his writing that requires a lot of concentration and creativity. Proper lighting is a must because he reads a lot throughout the day and night. Our monthly electric bill now is about 70% less than what we had while living in Langkawi.

Even though people’s everyday lives with certain familiar routine and many physical activities or travelling are under restriction at this time being for the sake of flattening the curve of the pandemic, and many people’s livelihood are more or less being affected by it especially if this will go on for a longer period of time, we are grateful with how and where we are.

The pandemic might restrict us from running yoga retreats, but it doesn’t restrict me from performing yoga practice and writing about yoga in my blogs once in a while. There’s a shift in the world of yoga in a good way being benefited from the pandemic lockdown. It’s not so much about appreciating the good things that we already have in life. The pandemic lockdown is creating a great opportunity, time and space to the yoga enthusiasts to develop self-practice, self-reliance, self-discipline and self-inquiry, inquiring the truth of impermanence and selflessness in all the names and forms, and experience the practice of solitude, seclusion and silence, if they want, under the movement restriction. Though not many people would be interested in the practice of solitude, seclusion and silence, as they prefer to continue keeping busy with their social life and activities mentally and emotionally through the social media platforms during the lockdown or the two weeks mandatory self-quarantine.

Some people’s existing livelihood might be affected by the pandemic lockdown and need to find some other way of making a living to support oneself and/or other people under one’s care, and hence, they won’t be thinking of the practice of silence at this time, which is nothing wrong. Just by maintaining equanimous under any condition and situation without being determined by the impermanent changes and challenges in life, while doing one’s best to look after oneself and one’s life is already a great practice. One can also ask for help from some others if needed, without feeling bad about oneself and one’s difficulty, and without expecting sympathetic reaction or treatment from others thinking that other people should provide help to oneself, but allowing voluntary help from others is available, or not.

Not many people are suitable for the practice of solitude, seclusion and silence. Most people need to keep their minds busy engaging in social connection and interaction with their family and friends physically, mentally and emotionally in order to maintain sanity and counter the sense of loneliness, meaninglessness and boredom, to be caring for one another amidst the pandemic. There’s nothing wrong with that. It’s better for people to maintain certain degrees of sanity than losing their minds while trying to perform the practice of silence to quiet the restless mind, if they aren’t ready for it, particularly in this time being. Those who don’t have enough understanding towards the teachings and practice of yoga would be disturbed by the sense of guilt, if they think they are not being there physically, mentally and emotionally for other people, especially their close family and friends. People also have fear towards being criticized by other people for trying to practice silence.

Some people have responsibility towards looking after their old parents, or young children, or physical dependent family members, and hence, aren't able to observe the practice of silence, and it's fine. They just need to know how to look after their own well-being, and aren't being frustrated about unable to do something they would like to do while had to be looking after some other people in their lives. That is also part of our yoga practice, if all those worldly responsibilities are being performed selflessly without attachment, identification and expectation towards the action and the fruit of action.

There’s nothing wrong either for those who make use of this time being to go into solitude and seclusion to practice silence even just for a few weeks being completely cut off from all kinds of social connection, communication, interaction and activity physically, mentally and emotionally, if they are ready, being equipped with Viveka, Vairagya, Shatsampat and Mumukshutva. Those who haven’t experience the practice of silence before should start with one week of silence first, and then gradually increase the length of the duration while having a short break in between, to allow the mind gradually gets use to it and realizes the effect of the practice.

Those who weren’t affected financially by the pandemic lockdown and who have developed certain degrees of self-reliance and correct understanding about the teachings and practice of yoga, and who have determination to free the mind from ignorance, restlessness, disturbs and impurities are suitable and ready for the practice of complete silence for a short or prolonged period of time. Those who are suffering from chronic depression and those who are physically, mentally and emotionally dependent on other people in everyday life are not suitable to practice complete silence. Though there’s no harm and it’s beneficial for them or anyone to be practicing some light yoga asana and breathing exercises regularly at home, especially if many outdoor and group activities are not allowed in the midst of the pandemic. 

If the mind still hasn’t developed the basic foundation of non-attachment, non-identification, non-craving, non-aversion and non-expectation, and doesn’t have the basic understanding towards the modification of the mind and the purification process of the mind, even if oneself has been practicing yoga for a long time and is interested to try the practice of silence, then it’s being advised that the practice of silence should only be done under the supervision from some others who had a higher understanding about the modification of the mind and the mind purification process.

Some people might misunderstand that just by staying at home not going out for many days restricting many physical social and leisure activities during the lockdown is not different from the practice of silence. It’s about cutting off all kinds of familiar worldly habits of the mind, including self-pampering with pleasurable enjoyment of the senses, and mental and emotional connections, communications, interactions and activities with other beings, refraining the mind from the habit of going out chasing after the objects of senses to be entertained and stimulated.

The observation of silence is bringing the mind to the present to be focusing within on the internalizing yoga and meditation practice, for quieting the mind and turning the mind inwards for self-introspection, being the witness of the modification of the mind and contemplation towards the truth of names and forms or “I”, while looking after the basic daily needs of maintaining the well-being of the physical body. It’s an intense mind purification process that might generate great discomfort physically, mentally and emotionally. That’s why it’s not suitable for those who are not mentally and emotionally independent. Also, one must be able to take responsibility towards one’s action and the consequences of one’s action. Those who like to blame others for all their unhappiness, pain and discomfort are not suitable for this practice either.

Just by restricting the familiar physical social and leisure activities or not moving the body, but without restricting the mental and emotional craving and longing towards entertainment, stimulation and social connection, communication, interaction and activity, even if being physically isolated by oneself for a prolonged period of time, it won’t work.

While some yoga practitioners might feel that life existence is too precious to be wasting in mind disciplining practice under the threat of the pandemic, and hence, forgoing the yoga practice of disciplining and silencing the mind but indulging in worldly enjoyments of the senses as much as possible. That’s their freedom and there’s nothing wrong.

All is impermanent.

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Freedom, not necessarily what the mind thinks what it is

There are many forms of freedom for different people with different thinking and desire. In yoga, freedom while living in the world of selfless impermanent names and forms is being free from ignorance and egoism, and thus, be free from the consequences of ignorance and egoism, of all kinds of mental and emotional suffering of unhappiness, disturbs, restlessness, fear, worry, disappointment, anger, hatred, hurts, painful sorrow, guilt, shame, resentment, and so on.

Nowadays, many people who think they are mentally and emotionally disturbed and hurt by something hurtful, they feel and believe that they are suffering from mental and emotional hurts and suffering, and they are looking forward to be receiving some kind of 'spiritual healing' treatment from someone 'spiritual' to heal them, to take away their painful hurts and suffering. Meanwhile, there are many different kinds of 'spiritual healing' being 'advertised' in the world claiming to be able to 'heal' people's mental and emotional hurts and suffering, including in the world of yoga. That's their freedom. Getting certain 'healing treatment' or receiving certain 'comforting love and affection' from some other beings might relieve certain degrees of mental and emotional pain, but it doesn't stop the mind to be continuing perceiving/experiencing/feeling 'hurts' and 'suffering' mentally and emotionally whenever people think and believe they are 'experiencing' and 'disturbed by' some kind of 'hurtful' and 'suffering' experiences.

When people come to us to learn and practice yoga, we don't give them 'spiritual healing' treatment. We don't take away or remove what people think and believe is their mental or emotional painful hurts and suffering. We teach and guide everyone to contemplate upon or look into their own minds to know what is going on in their minds, that allows them to see the truth of hurts and suffering, to realize the root cause of hurts and suffering, to realize selflessness and compassion. We don't heal anyone, but it's coming from people themselves willingly to let go all the ignorant perception about everything that will liberate them from any kind of 'so called' mental and emotional 'hurts' and 'suffering'.

If people are not willing to learn about what is going on in their own minds, and reluctant to open their minds, where they insist that all their painful hurts and suffering are caused by somebody and something that is being hurtful and suffering, and feel greatly insulted and offended when being told to 'identify' and 'see' the ignorance and egoism in their own mind, then the teaching and practice is useless to them.

We don't need to 'heal' anyone, and we don't 'heal' anyone. All kinds of 'hurts' and 'suffering' ceased existing or vanished from the mind when the mind is free from ignorance and egoism, upon knowing thyself and knowing the truth of names and forms. 'Hurts' and 'suffering' don't exist upon the realization of the truth, and nobody needs to be 'healed' from 'hurts' and 'suffering', as nobody is being there to perceive or experience 'hurt' and 'suffering' upon the realization of selflessness and compassion. That is real freedom.

Looking after one's physical and mental health amidst pandemic

The pandemic is not just threatening people's physical health and lives, but the prolonged 'meh' condition that everyone around the world has to go through due to the movement restriction in order to curb the virus from spreading has been straining the mental health of many people, even for those who are mentally healthy all the while but their life and livelihood is being affected greatly by the pandemic, not to say, it is hammering hard on those who are already suffering from some kind of mental health issue.

Some people who suffer from some kind of mental health issue, such as depression, can be benefiting very much from performing certain physical activity, especially lap swimming, where the contact with water combining with the repetitive movements and rhythmic breathing that gives a very special effect which can effectively elevate and stabilize the state of the mind without the need of drug medication, but unfortunately, many physical activities are not allowed due to the movement restriction, including lap swimming, even when it's an individual activity/exercise that doesn't need to have physical contact/interaction with other people, especially if the swimming pool is well-maintained and properly chlorinated with limited lap swimmers at one time, and not meant for people who just want to be in the pool to enjoy some leisure playful water activities for fun. Refraining from swimming is like stopping a safe and effective regular treatment for those who depend largely on regular swimming to maintain sanity without using drugs that doesn't really cure depression but induce many bad side-effects.

Other than there's frustration built up due to the movement restriction for months, there's also the side-effect of the prolonged partial or total lockdown resulting in the economic downturn causing joblessness or pay cut to more and more people, as well as there's anxiety, tension and fear towards contracting the virus or being 'punished' for unwittingly violating the many confusing unfamiliar new 'laws' that were being introduced and implemented in order to 'slow down' the spread of the virus, that has been going on for months, and most possibly will continue for the next few years, as this 'fast mutating' virus seems to be going to hang around in the world for a much longer time than we would like it to be.

It's quite unpleasant and challenging, even for those who think and believe they are 'optimistic', not to say, it's really hard for those who are less 'optimistic'.

For many people, the long term side-effects of the prolonged pandemic affecting people's everyday life and livelihood, might be worst than contracting the virus itself.

What's important now, is how people can maintain their over-all physical and mental well-being living under the movement restriction, and how people cope with this 'meh' condition of the pandemic, be able to get through/survive this global challenging time being, and be ready to live with the virus hanging around us for many more months or years, and be able to make adjustment to adapt the long term side-effects that affect and change everyone's way of life and livelihood.

Different people cope with the 'meh' condition differently in their own way. There's no 'the best way' of coping any kind of situation for everyone. Everyone needs to find their own way to cope with this 'challenging' condition in the world.

During the partial or total lockdown, people are being advised to stay at home as much as possible, where some people might need to start creating and following a planned schedule for themselves to perform certain task and activity at home for maintaining their physical and mental health, while for some others, they might not need to have a planned schedule but just live life spontaneously that might work better for them that helps to maintain their physical and mental health. Some people need to keep busy physically and/or mentally, while some others might need to be more laid back physically and/or mentally.

Patience, tolerance and understanding towards oneself and among human beings within a family or a community is much needed in this time being, as the state of the mind of many people could be toppled by the 'meh' condition and would behave irrationally, whether wittingly or unwittingly.

Unintentionally, some people could actually be benefited from this pandemic life experience, and develop certain understanding/insight that could change their over-all perspective towards many things about themselves and/or life existence.

Some people becoming more creative and/or productive due to having a lot less 'distractions' due to the partial or total lockdown.

Some people started to be aware of certain things that exist in life but they didn't notice before until they have the opportunity to reflect upon themselves and life during the partial or total lockdown.

Some people realized that they don't really love themselves or the people whom they thought they loved, while some might learn how to love and look after themselves and others.

For yoga practitioners, one lives life in the present as it is, adjust, adapt, accommodate, free from craving and aversion, and all is impermanent.

'Good friend' vs 'wise company' or Satsanga

People often talk about 'Friends are highly important in life', where 'good friends' are those who are intelligent/educated/knowledgeable enough to inspire one another in those fields, who are like-minded, who are available being there physically/mentally/emotionally 'caring' for one another, to be fun interacting and playing with, to do something 'great' together, to 'help' and 'console' one another or to 'protect' and 'stand up for' one another when it's needed. Some people can't even manage their own existing life problems, but still want to be busy minding other people's or so called friend's ceaseless many kind of 'problems', and ending up bringing more 'problems' into one's life.

People might think and say that "This is what true good friends are, sharing one's another problems. The world is such a wonderful place full of people unhesitating generating all kinds of problem here and there that can be shared by many good friends. Creating problems, sharing problems and standing up for one another indicate that the world is full of love and kindness."

On the path of yoga or Buddhism, a true 'good friend' is a 'wise company' or 'Satsanga' who is not necessarily someone intelligent/educated/knowledgeable to inspire one another in those fields, or being like-minded and being there physically/mentally/emotionally for one another, being fun to interact and play with, but someone who is wise and independent enough to look after oneself by minimizing or not generating unnecessary 'problems'/'inconvenience' in one's life and/or other people's life, where oneself doesn't really 'need' anyone who is like-minded being there physically/mentally/emotionally to be fun to 'interact and play with', or to 'help', 'console', 'protect' and 'stand up for' oneself for anything, as the one who is free from ignorance and egoism, doesn't generate unnecessary 'problems' and knows how not to get involve with other people's unnecessary 'life problem'/'social media related problem'/'relationship problem'/'emotional problem'/'financial problem' that occur due to ignorance, egoism and impurities, while 'selflessly' and 'intentionlessly', one's wisdom and independence might or might not be inspiring others to also be wise and independent to be looking after themselves, by minimizing or stop generating unnecessary 'problems' in one's life and/or other people's life.

Meanwhile, 'Kutsanga' are those so called 'friends' who consume one's time, attention and energy into 'sharing and solving' their unnecessary 'problems' that arise due to ignorance and egoism, as these 'friends', even among the intelligent/educated/knowledgeable group of people, will keep generating 'problems' in their life 'unwittingly' out of ignorance and egoism that 'needed' to be shared by their friends, and cause distraction/obstacle to one's practice for yoga of silencing the modification of the mind. But then this would be perceived as something 'selfish', 'inhuman', or 'wrong' by many passionate people in the world.

Selfless yoga practitioners don't have any intention/aspiration to inspire anyone for anything, while allowing everyone to perceive, react and feel the way as they are.

Whether people would be inspired by someone or something, or not, it's coming from the people themselves perceiving, reacting and feeling being inspired, or not, it's not coming from someone or something being inspiring and has the 'power' to inspire everyone. Most of the time, something really 'good' might appear to be 'uninspiring' for many people, and vice versa.

Compassion manifests along the realization of selflessness, respecting the law of nature, impermanence, cause and effect, while may or may not selflessly/intentionlessly 'guiding' other beings towards the realization of selflessness, wisdom and compassion, be free from ignorance and egoism, though this might appear to be 'inhuman', 'unloving', 'wrong' or 'harsh' for the passionate minds. It's nothing to do with what the passionate minds think and believe as 'The kind of human relationship, interaction and behavior that project loving kindness in certain way' that is unwittingly encouraging and empowering ignorance and egoism in the world.

This teaching is not about one shouldn't have any friends in life. It's about whether the mind is free from ignorance and egoism, or not, especially for those who want to practice yoga and meditation to transcend the mind perception of a worldly life existence of names and forms that is subject to impermanence and selflessness.

The minds that are free from ignorance and egoism, will be friendly towards all and everyone, unconditionally without discrimination of personal likes and dislikes/agreements and disagreements based on particular thinking and belief, appearance, gender, race, nationality, behavior, cultural/religious values and practice, without the 'need' of making and accumulating personal friendships that can share and interact with physically/mentally/emotionally in order to feel good, happy, love, joyful or meaningful, or to be 'healthy' physically/mentally/emotionally. There's no 'friends' or 'not friends' in the minds that are free from ignorance and egoism.

Passionate minds, including health professionals and yoga enthusiasts, cannot comprehend that human beings can be happy and healthy as one is, regardless of whether being interacting or not interacting with some other human beings physically/mentally/emotionally, without suffering from the sense of loneliness, joylessness, meaninglessness, left out or unloved if there's lack of such social interaction.

There's nothing wrong with having a few or many friends in life, but if the mind strongly thinks and believes that having no 'friends' to share, interact or play with, is something bad, wrong, negative, terrible, joyless, meaningless, unhealthy or lonely, then it shows that the mind is not free from ignorance and egoism. If the mind is free from ignorance and egoism, free from egoistic attachment, identification, desire of craving and aversion and expectation, then regardless of whether one has none, or a few, or many friends in life, to share, interact and play with physically/mentally/emotionally, there's no difference. This mind is free and peaceful as it is, being undetermined by 'how many (good) friends one has', to be happy, joyful and peaceful, or not. The mind is free from the sense of loneliness/meaninglessness/joylessness/left out/unloved, if 'friends' that can share, interact and play with physically/mentally/emotionally are not available.

Freedom of thinking, action, expression and speech?

Freedom in yoga is about the freedom of being free from ignorance, egoism, attachment, desire and impurities, or suffering. It's not so much about the worldly 'freedom of thinking, action, expression and speech'. But instead, the yoga practitioners constantly restricting one's thinking, action, expression and speech in order to conquer one's mind, to free the mind from ignorance, egoism, restlessness and impurities, or suffering.

For many people in the world, freedom is about the freedom of thinking, action, expression and speech, being free to think, act/react, express and say whatever they like, without any responsibility or consideration towards the consequences of one's action/reaction, or without consideration towards the possibility of many other people's different types of pleasant/unpleasant reaction towards one's particular thinking, belief, action, expression and speech. But, all actions will bring along the consequences of action, whether it's something that we like and agree with, or not.

In the world of egoistic minds functioning under the influence of ignorance and impurities, there will be expected or unexpected desirable/undesirable and kind/unkind reactions coming from different people of different backgrounds, with different thinking, belief, action/reaction or behavior reacting towards other people's different ways of thinking, action/reaction, expression and speech.

Regardless of whether one performs certain action out of 'good' intention, or not, it doesn't and cannot determine how other people should/shouldn't/would/wouldn't react or not react in certain way. One's intention is irrelevant to how other people would react towards one's action.

Expecting all minds are free from ignorance, that all are open-minded, wise and compassionate, that all will react towards everything only with openness, tolerance, peace and understanding, regardless of the different likes and dislikes, agreements and disagreements based on the many different thinking, belief, social, religious and cultural backgrounds, that everyone can act/react/express/say whatever they like 'freely' and expect nobody should or will be offended and react ignorantly, even under intense disagreement, is mere ignorance. It doesn't mean that one should act/react/behave as one is even if it will hurt oneself and/or others, under the 'freedom of action', but most minds will act/react/behave ignorantly out of ignorance. Those who are free from ignorance have consideration and self-control over their action and reaction, but most minds are not free from ignorance and don't have consideration or self-control over their action and reaction.

In yoga, 'freedom of thinking, action, expression and speech' is there when one has the clarity and understanding to decide or choose what one wants to think, act/react, express and say, or not. Being able to decide/choose what to think, act/react, express and say, and what not to think, act/react, express and say, that would promote more peace and harmony in oneself and/or others while living in the world of ignorant impure egoistic minds, is the real freedom of thinking, action, expression and speech. It's not about being able to think, act/react, express and say anything and everything freely, even if knowing that it will most probably inflict reaction or consequence of painful sorrow/suffering to oneself and/or other beings. It's not about appropriateness and disappropriateness either. It's about knowing that most minds are functioning under the influence of ignorance, egoism and impurities, and hence, most people are not free from ignorant action/reaction/behavior. The minds that know this, will not waste any energy into actions/reactions that will deliberately lead to peacelessness and disharmony in oneself and/or in the world of ignorance.

 

Just like we can choose to keep our hands away from contacting with fire directly as much as possible because we don't want to suffer injury or pain from being burnt by fire. It doesn't mean that we have fear towards injury/pain, or have aversion towards being burnt by fire. We just don't need to perform ignorant action that will cause unnecessary pain or suffering to the body and mind.

 

It doesn't mean that we are lack of freedom of action when we choose not to perform certain action that will cause injury or pain to oneself and/or others, thinking and believing that 'freedom of action' means, "I want to be able to do everything and whatever I want to do, even if I know it will hurt myself and/or others, such as be able to put my hands into the fire for as long as I want and I expect there's no consequence of getting injury or pain of being burnt." That's ignorance, not freedom at all.

 

It's everyone's freedom whether they want to be free from ignorance, or not.

The world of exploitation

People who have no choice but are living under great desperation to be working to earn an income for making a living, and hence, reluctantly accepting underpaid job(s), where just working for one job for certain reasonable hours per day/week/month is no longer sufficient to survive or support the high cost of living, but they need to work longer hours or take up more than one job at one time, will eventually suffer from certain degree of physical/mental/emotional breakdown as their over-all physical and mental well-being and/or their relationship with their family are under threat or being compromised because they have to be spending all their time and energy into the underpaid work(s) compromising the essential rest time or free time for something else other than 'work' to be looking after their physical/mental health condition, and they don't have the 'energy' and 'attention' left for their relationship and/or family, and above all, being unable to live ‘a balanced life’ that is more than just being ‘a slave of the world of exploitation’ of working hard physically/mentally for their entire life existence just barely earn enough to feed themselves and/or their family, but have no time, no energy and no money left for anything else, until one's body and mind breakdown, or until one dies.

There’s nothing wrong with the statement of ‘all beings has to be performing action for maintaining one’s life existence until one dies’ and ‘be grateful and contented with having enough food and basic shelter for survival especially making a living through honest effort within one’s capability’, as that is part of life existence, but, ‘being exploited by greedy/stingy people exploiting other people to do underpaid work for them under the world of exploitation/desperation’ is another form of ‘slavery’, which is not what ‘life’ is about.

The bondage chain of thought, attachment, desire, action and consequence of action

A thought arise.

Followed by attachment.

Desire of craving or aversion arise towards the thought.

Gratification of the desire of craving or aversion gives rise to action and consequence of action.

Forming the bondage chain of cause and effect, birth and death.

A thought arise.

Stand as a witness.

Witnessing thought after thought, arising and passing away.

Without attachment or grasping/clinging onto the thought (modification of the mind).

Free from desire of craving or aversion.

Transcending the bondage chain of action and consequence of action, cause and effect, birth and death.

This is the open teaching of Yoga and Buddhism.

No shortcut.

No supernatural power.

No fairy tale.

No mystical story.

Just keep purifying, cleaning, clearing, silencing, annihilating the modification of the mind, the idea of 'I'.

Compassion is free from exploitation of sympathy and empathy

People might be aware of there are many kinds of exploitation existing in the world, but not everyone are aware of the existence of the exploitation of sympathy and empathy. Even when people hear that, people would be offended and deny such saying, thinking that the world need more sympathy and empathy. That's their freedom of thinking.

The world do need more compassion that is nothing to do with sympathy and empathy.

In the world of capitalism and consumerism, except for the tiny fraction of the super rich community who would just spend on anything for nothing just because they can, the majority of the low income people would need to be calculative and careful on spending where the cost of living will only get higher and higher. Many people who have low or very low income want to spend as little as possible on the things/products/labour/work/services/resources and etc that they want to get, other than getting the essential things for survival, as that is what they can afford with their underpaid income barely enough for short term survival. There are also some people who manage to make reasonable higher income but they want to spend as little as possible on certain things that they want but are less priority to them, so that they can spend more on some other things that are more priority to them, and they have some 'spending power' to buy things/property with the money that they don't really have but 'borrowed' from bank loan or credit, and hence, this 'normal' human spending behavior is indeed fueling/empowering the loop of exploitation. 

Out of desperation for survival and struggling to make a living, as well as there might be many desires/ambitions waiting to be fulfilled/gratified, everyone is being exploited while working for underpaid income whether wittingly or unwittingly, and everyone is also exploiting others when spending their underpaid income coming from being exploited, while some people exploiting others when spending their sufficient income in order to use 'the saved money from exploiting others' on some other priorities.

"I know you are desperate for income. I can help you by offering you a job. But I only want to pay you this little in return for your labour and service. If you don't want, many other people will want it."

"Oh! I'll take it. A little of income is better than no income at all. I will be grateful for this job. Thank you very much."

This is the beginning of exploitation and how exploitation is being empowered and supported, but out of desperation for getting income for survival or to fulfill their desire for something, many people would think and believe that is what gratefulness and thankfulness is about, and unwittingly supporting and encouraging exploitation to be happening.

Those who are free from ignorance, egoism and desires, who can withstand the worst condition, they do not 'support' or 'encourage' such exploitation to be happening under any circumstances.

In the beginning of the exploitation of underpaid work, labour and service, many people are unwittingly allowing themselves being exploited out of desperation for survival and making a living for themselves or to provide financial support for their family, and after some time, people started to get use to it, and don't see it as an exploitation anymore, but, they would think and believe that's the normal payment they should be getting in return for their commitment, time, energy, effort, attention, knowledge and skill that they put into those work, labour or service, and set it as a 'payment guideline' for doing some other work/labour/service, and would accept even lower payment for doing something that they think is requiring less commitment, time, effort, energy, attention, knowledge and skill by comparing with those work that they have been doing which is underpaid due to the exploitation in the very beginning.

Most people, especially those who are living under certain challenging condition and going through certain difficulty in life, would not like to be exploited of any kind, and some might even actively participating in protest and activism to go against exploitation of any kind in the world, and yet, whether wittingly or unwittingly, people are constantly exploiting each other.

One of the common exploitation that people aren't aware of, is the exploitation of sympathy and empathy, or taking advantage of other people's sympathy and empathy to achieve something that they want. Whether people are aware or unaware, they themselves are exploiting other people's sympathy and empathy, or their sympathy and empathy are being exploited by others.

Many people who would like to think and believe that they are compassionate beings and they want to be compassionate towards other people's suffering and difficulty, would misinterpret egoistic sympathy and empathy as compassion, and whether intentionally or unintentionally, they themselves are constantly 'encouraging' and 'supporting' the exploitation of sympathy and empathy to be happening/existing, which is not what compassion is about, but it's merely part of the by-products of ignorance.

Egoistic sympathy and empathy could easily be exploited, while compassion is void of exploitation of any kind.

For example, many people are being conditioned to think and believe that anyone who have been or is going through 'certain difficult condition, situation or experience', should be naturally 'deserved' to be receiving sympathy and empathy from other people. Whether it's oneself who has been or is going through certain challenging difficulty, and one believes oneself 'deserves' to be receiving sympathy and empathy from others, or it's other people who have been or are going through some challenging difficulty, and one expects oneself and some others should be showing sympathy and empathy towards those people who 'deserve' to be receiving sympathy and empathy from others. There's nothing wrong with that, as that is what most people think and believe that's how everyone should think and believe, act and react, or behave. Or else, it's so wrong, so terrible, so selfish, so harsh, and 'lack of compassion', if people don't think and believe, act and react, or behave like that.

For the minds that are free from ignorance, that isn't just not what compassion is about, but it's actually empowering ignorance and egoism. Being compassionate is free from such thinking, belief, actions and reactions that empower ignorance and egoism.

Those who practice yoga or Buddhism, who are truly wise and compassionate, who are aware of ignorance and the by-products of ignorance, would be free from exploiting other people's sympathy and empathy under any circumstances, as well as do not get involve with any actions or affairs that are directly or indirectly encouraging and supporting such exploitation, whether it's exploitation from others towards oneself, or from some others towards other people.

Compassion is nothing to do with the idea of who and what 'deserve' or 'doesn't deserve' sympathy and empathy.

One can be unconditionally kind towards others in different ways within one's ability and capacity without the idea of 'this (being or happening) deserves kindness' or 'this (being or happening) deserves special reaction/treatment differently than some others'.

One allows others whether to show or don't show sympathy and empathy towards oneself and/or others, without the idea/intention/expectation of 'I and/or others deserve sympathy and empathy from other people'.

One can receive (or reject) certain voluntary help/assistance from others without expecting 'deserving' help/assistance under any circumstances.

It's common that some people like to use the excuse of "I have a difficult life", "I am going through many hardships", "I am a single parent", or "I have to look after my old and sick parent(s)" and so on to receive sympathy and empathy from others with the intention/expectation to get certain 'special compassionate reaction/treatment', or to get something that they want but they can't afford, or to achieve something that they want to achieve but they don't have enough ability/capacity to achieve.

The minds that are free from ignorance, egoism and desires of craving and aversion don't have the idea/intention/expectation of "I and my difficult condition deserve to receive sympathy and empathy, and getting certain 'special compassionate reaction/treatment" from others, even under great difficulty. If they really need to get help, they would try to get it, but it's free from the idea of "I and my difficult condition deserve sympathy/empathy and help". They don't have the desire to get 'something that they want but they can't afford' under any circumstances, or to achieve something that they don't have the ability/capacity to achieve, while allowing others to be sympathetic/empathetic, or not, to show kindness and provide help out of their own freewill, or not.

Exploitation of sympathy and empathy exists when people starting to use what they think and believe as less fortunate/underprivileged condition or challenging difficult situation to gain sympathy and empathy from others, in order to gratify their desires of craving and aversion, to help them to make changes for better in life, to get out of the difficult condition that they don't like, or to do/achieve something that they want to do/achieve that they can't afford or don't have the ability/capacity for doing/achieving it. If people really want to get out from such condition and situation, and want to do/achieve something that they can't afford to do/achieve under those circumstances, they can work on expanding their ability/capacity until they acquire the ability/capacity to do/achieve what they want to do/achieve through their own effort/ability/capacity, without exploiting other people's sympathy and empathy.

To stop exploitation in the world, it's not just that one doesn't exploit anyone with any kind of exploitation, but one must also stay away from being exploited by anyone for any kind of exploitation, to stop 'encouraging' and 'supporting' exploitation of any kind to be happening/existing. Unfortunately, exploitation will continue to be existing as most people can't live without supporting and being supported by the corrupted system of the world of capitalism and consumerism.

It's not about people should be contented and grateful for the exploited underpaid income that provides enough food and shelter, and living a life of 'slavery' spending all energy and effort just to make enough income for survival, to eat, sleep, work and repeat, until they die, and thus, allowing and supporting exploitation to be happening.

It's neither about people are being arrogant and discontented for being too greedy/ambitious for getting higher rewards/payment/income to have a better quality of life, not just living a life of 'slavery', everyday eat, sleep, work and repeat, and hence, people don't want to work for underpaid work, or thinking oneself should 'deserve' a higher pay.

It's definitely not about people are being selfless, desireless and compassionate, and should just work and give even without receiving any payment, not to say, they should be grateful for the 'blessing' of a little bit of payment/income, and hence, 'supporting' and 'encouraging' exploitation to be happening.

Spouses or family members doing something for each other out of love without involving 'payment/income' or 'rewards', is a complete different situation from somebody or an organization/company doing a business making a lot of profits for the owner and/or the board of share holders, but exploiting other people to work for them with the cheapest wage as much as possible, so that they can have a higher margin for profits. Even in a relationship or family, exploitation shouldn't be happening, and yet, people are taking many things for granted, whether people are aware or unaware of it.

Allowing others to exploit or take advantage of oneself and/or others is nothing to do with compassion, and it doesn't remove ignorance and the consequences of ignorance from oneself and/or others. Just as performing many offering, charity, prayers and sacrifices also doesn't remove ignorance and the consequences of ignorance from oneself and/or others.

Just as compassion is nothing to do with giving people whatever they like and desire in order to make them feel happy and satisfied, or feel less unhappy or less suffering.

If people feel under great desperation for money to feed themselves and/or their family and don't mind being exploited working with underpaid income, thinking that having a little bit of income is better than having no income and go hungry or die, that's their freedom. Out of desperation or greed, some people would lie, steal, commit crimes or hurt other people to earn a living, or to get what they desire, that's their freedom. Just as people would give in to corruption out of desperation, by receiving bribe or giving bribe to achieve what they want to achieve, to make their life easier or less hard, that's their freedom.

It's neither right nor wrong. It's just different thinking, understanding, approach, choice and action, that leads to different consequences of action.

Yoga practitioners contemplate on this and free the mind from ignorance.

Open mind under the presence of wisdom and compassion

Open-mind that exists along under the presence of compassion and wisdom is void of ignorance and the consequences of ignorance.

Open-mind born out of compassion and wisdom reflects awareness towards ignorant situation and knowing how not to get into unnecessary ignorant situations and the consequence of that, being free from ignorant thinking/action and the consequences of ignorant thinking/action.

 

There are many passionate minds have misunderstanding towards what is open-mindedness, where they would think and believe that open-mindedness is about 'being optimistically trusting the universe will look after my well-being where I should think and believe in everyone that I come in contact with are all pure, good and kind people without any selfish intention and desire, where I shouldn't have any doubtful/distrusting thinking/feeling towards anyone in order to look after myself and my well-being, by myself, because I think that it's 'bad', 'wrong', 'closed-mind', 'unfriendly', 'ill-thinking' and 'being selfish to look after myself by protecting myself from mistreatment/harm', and I don't want to have 'ill-thinking' towards anyone or 'being selfish to look after myself by protecting myself from mistreatment/harm'. I strongly believe that I myself, am a pure, positive, generous, kind and loving being, that I only will be loved by everyone and will be void of any mistreatment or harm, as I love the universe/God and the universe/God loves me', and thus, ignorantly coming in contact and dealing with ignorant beings with impure intention and desire, and getting involve in ignorant situations/events that give rise to mistreatment/harm to oneself. This is actually ignorantly 'encouraging' mistreatment/harm or crimes to be happening.

Keeping the hand away from close contact with fire to avoid getting injured/burnt is not 'bad', 'wrong', 'ill-thinking', or 'being selfish'. By not keeping the hand away from close contact with fire, but deliberately keeping the hand in close contact with fire, thinking that it's 'bad', 'wrong', 'ill-thinking' or 'being selfish' to keep the hand away from fire, and I want to be 'open-mind' where I should believe in the universe or God will protect me from any harm, is ignorance, or mere stupidity.

Being compassionate, friendly and open mind towards all beings doesn't mean that one should be ignorantly and wittingly letting oneself to be taken for granted/advantage by those with selfish intention/desire, or giving the opportunity for others to misbehave and endangering oneself to be mistreated/hurt by the ignorance of others.

Open mind towards all without judgment is more about being opened towards everyone could be kind or unkind, depending on the current state of their minds, without judgment of 'This is a kind person' or 'This is an unkind person'. One doesn't need to trust, or distrust, or mistrust anyone for anything.

This is similar to where the teaching of 'surrendering' in Yoga is also being misunderstood by many passionate minds in the same way. 'Surrendering' in Yoga is about surrendering the ego and egoism of attachment, identification, desire of craving and aversion, performing all our duties and actions without attachment, renouncing the fruit of actions, being dispassionate and desireless. It doesn't mean that one doesn't need to be responsible for one's actions and the consequences of actions, or doesn't need to be responsible to be looking after the well-being of oneself and those under one's care. Such like, driving on the road. One needs to be attentive and stay alert while driving, and be responsible to follow the traffic rules, and watching out for 'reckless drivers' or 'other road users'. 'Surrendering' doesn't mean "Ah, I surrender to God completely. Everything is God's will. Whatever will be, will be. I must not have 'ill-thinking' towards anyone that some of the drivers might be driving recklessly. I shouldn't have 'negative thinking' about there could be 'unexpected objects/animals' might be on the road that I need to watch out for. I don't need to drive carefully with attentiveness or stop at any traffic lights and junctions, and without watching out for the other road users or any unexpected objects/animals on the road, and I will arrive safely at my destination without any problem." That is ignorance, or mere stupidity.

How to live in the present?

Whether the mind is aware or unaware, agrees or disagrees, there's nothing else other than NOW. There's no living outside of NOW. It's always being in NOW, living in NOW, regardless of the ignorant impure egoistic mind is always wandering between the remembrance towards 'the past memory of impermanent changes of names and forms that the mind perceived as something pleasant/happy/enjoyable or unpleasant/unhappy/suffering' and the anticipation/projection towards 'the future being in certain way that the mind perceived as desirable or undesirable'.

Due to the function of the memory of remembering/observing the process of the impermanent changes of names and forms, from birth, to growth, to aging, to decaying, to old age, and to death, of all kinds of desirable/undesirable and pleasant/unpleasant experience/relationship, on top of the movement of the earth in NOW that generate the perception of day/brightness and night/darkness as well as the natural interchange cycle of the state of rest/sleep and waking, and the mechanism of the movement of the clock or watch that generate the strong idea of the existence of 'time', of past, present and future.

One can perform this experiment of watching the entire process of cooking the bread in the oven. The action of watching all the changes in the entire process of cooking the dough to become bread, is always in NOW.

Under the function of the timer/clock/watch, the bread takes about '40 minutes' to be cooking from the form of a dough to become a ready to eat bread. But the bread is always being cooking in NOW, and keep cooking in NOW until the bread is ready and stop cooking, which is also in NOW. The process of cooking the bread through the high heat produced by the oven that changes the entire structure/texture/taste of the dough to become the form of bread, that generates continuous changes of the form of the dough/bread from moment to moment is always in NOW, in this present moment.

No matter how much/little and what type of changes are happening in this present moment, it's always in NOW.

One might remember one has slept for a few hours earlier, but the remembrance of 'that' is in NOW. It's always [I am sleeping/not awake], [I am awake/not sleeping], [I am doing something], [I am not doing something/anything], and constantly remembering [I was sleeping], [I was awake], [I slept], [I didn't sleep], [I did something] or [I didn't do something/anything] in NOW, while the body is going through impermanent changes ceaselessly.

The witness/observer of impermanent changes is timeless, it's always NOW. There's neither a past nor a future. The mind might be remembering 'the past experiences/impermanent changes' and imagining/anticipating 'the future anticipation', being aware of many people/beings had lived and died, many things/relationships had appeared and disappeared, many feelings/sensations had arose and passed away, but all these modifications are always in NOW.

The physical body and the thinking mind is always living/going through impermanent changes in NOW, until the process of death/decomposition takes place, it's also in NOW. The process of aging/decaying is always happening in NOW, until death/decomposition takes place, in NOW.

If the mind is free from or knows how to detach/unattached towards the remembrance of all the impermanent changes of desirable/undesirable and pleasant/unpleasant perception of names and forms or experiences, there's no hurt, or grief, or sorrow, or regret, or guilt. If the mind is free from or knows how to detach/unattached towards the imagination/anticipation towards 'the future', there's no fear or worry.

It's either one is okay or not okay, comfortable or uncomfortable, in NOW, in this present. It's normal and nothing wrong if one is not okay or uncomfortable in NOW. Whether one is okay and comfortable, or not, this is impermanent and it is changing and passing away.